DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY WITH DIFFERENT COMORBIDITIES - JUST A SMALL PROBLEM OR SOMETHING MORE?

Background: Depression is the most common mental disorder in old age with a major impact on quality of life, morbidity and mortality. In daily work, various tests are used in terms of screening to detect suspected depressive disorder. One of the most commonly used tests is the so-called Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15). The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of depressive symptoms in patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward. Subjects and methods: A retrospective analysis included a total of 473 subjects (170 men and 303 women), with an average age of 83.8 years (minimum 65 years, maximum 101 years). GDS-15 was tested in all subjects (a positive test implies a GDS-15 score of The results obtained were then statistically processed. Results: Of the total of 473 subjects, 105 (22.2%) were positively tested for depressive symptoms (34 men and 71 women). Most of these live in the usual domestic setting (79.4% men and 74.6% women). In women, the symptoms are mostly present (49 women - 69.0%) in women living alone (widowed, divorced or unmarried. The male respondents were mostly men living in a partner community (22 men - 64.7%) Conclusion: The results obtained confirm the high incidence of depressive symptoms in the patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward. Depression is not a normal part of ageing and must be considered as a serious medical problem. Therefore, routine screening is necessary to identify the depressive symptoms, to detect and diagnose depression to begin treatment for such patients on time in order to improve the quality of life of the elderly

DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY WITH DIFFERENT COMORBIDITIES - JUST A SMALL PROBLEM OR SOMETHING MORE?

Background: Depression is the most common mental disorder in old age with a major impact on quality of life, morbidity and mortality. In daily work, various tests are used in terms of screening to detect suspected depressive disorder. One of the most commonly used tests is the so-called Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15). The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of depressive symptoms in patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward. Subjects and methods: A retrospective analysis included a total of 473 subjects (170 men and 303 women), with an average age of 83.8 years (minimum 65 years, maximum 101 years). GDS-15 was tested in all subjects (a positive test implies a GDS-15 score of The results obtained were then statistically processed. Results: Of the total of 473 subjects, 105 (22.2%) were positively tested for depressive symptoms (34 men and 71 women). Most of these live in the usual domestic setting (79.4% men and 74.6% women). In women, the symptoms are mostly present (49 women - 69.0%) in women living alone (widowed, divorced or unmarried. The male respondents were mostly men living in a partner community (22 men - 64.7%) Conclusion: The results obtained confirm the high incidence of depressive symptoms in the patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward. Depression is not a normal part of ageing and must be considered as a serious medical problem. Therefore, routine screening is necessary to identify the depressive symptoms, to detect and diagnose depression to begin treatment for such patients on time in order to improve the quality of life of the elderly

Consensus statement on screening, diagnosis, classification and treatment of endemic (Balkan) nephropathy.

Currently used diagnostic criteria in different endemic (Balkan) nephropathy (EN) centers involve different combinations of parameters, various cut-off values and many of them are not in agreement with proposed international guidelines. Leaders of EN centers began to address these problems at scientific meetings, and this paper is the outgrowth of those discussions. The main aim is to provide recommendations for clinical work on current knowledge and expertise. This document is developed for use by general physicians, nephrologists, urologist, public health experts and epidemiologist, and it is hoped that it will be adopted by responsible institutions in countries harboring EN. National medical providers should cover costs of screening and diagnostic procedures and treatment of EN patients with or without upper urothelial cancers